Location: Mediterranean Sea.
Summary: A calm day sailing south toward Cádiz, filled with quizzes, meals, new friendships, small frustrations, and excellent evening entertainment before ending the night with music and drinks.
Morning at Sea
I slept very well, as I always seemed to do on board. The gentle rocking sent me off to sleep. I woke around 06:00 to use the bathroom, then went back to sleep until about 07:00. I eventually got up, showered, and went for breakfast at 07:30.
I was disappointed to find that the advertised fixed seating and breakfast menu were nonexistent. Seating was a free‑for‑all, and the restaurant only offered a small buffet. Because the dining room was set over several levels, carrying food on a tray while trying to find a table was difficult for me, so I went to the upper‑deck buffet instead.
The buffet selection was better, the seating was on one level, and there were free tables near the windows. I collected a tray of assorted foods and sat down. As I ate, my new friend Mal walked past and joined me. I got a glass of orange juice and then a coffee, despite being told the night before that I couldn’t have coffee on my drinks plan. We chatted until around 09:30, then walked down to one of the bars for the morning music quiz.
To show off, I ordered another coffee from the waiter. We talked until the quiz began. We thought we had done well, but we only scored 4 out of 10. After the quiz, we went to the pool deck at the back of the ship and sat talking. I checked our location on my phone and saw we were directly east of La Manga. I took a selfie with the Spanish coast behind me before we left the deck.
Late Morning & Lunch
I returned to my cabin to rest my leg, which was still aching, but arranged to meet Mal for the 11:30 quiz. I typed up some notes on my laptop before heading back out.
The second quiz was another music quiz. We did slightly better, scoring 6 out of 10, though about five teams scored full marks and went into a tiebreak.
At 12:00, we went to the restaurant for lunch. Although we were told it was free seating again, we were directed to a table with other passengers. At least it was table service. After scanning the QR code on my phone, I ordered my meal.
My starter was “marinated prawns in carpione with polenta croutons”, a fancy name for four small frozen prawns on something bland but edible. The first course was mushroom soup with a floating slice of bread. It was fine, but nowhere near as good as my homemade soup. The main course, “grilled pork neck with chimichurri,” was really just a thin pork fillet with chips, but I enjoyed it. Dessert was described as Pear Toffee with milk chocolate mousse, caramelised pears, pear brunoise, and honey cream. It was very nice, though in my world it would simply be called chocolate mousse with a slice of pear and a dab of cream.
After lunch, I returned to my cabin for a couple of hours to rest my legs after all the walking of the past few days.
Afternoon Quizzes
In the afternoon, I met Mal at the main bar for more quizzes. Gail joined us for the second one, and we won in a tiebreak. The prize was an ice cream to share. After finishing my beer, I returned to my cabin to put my feet up.
Dinner & Evening Entertainment
At 19:00, I went to the restaurant. Gail and some other guests had invited me to join them, but no one was there when I arrived, so I sat at my assigned table. Two ladies from the large table, Ann and her daughter Rosalea, moved up to sit with me, which I appreciated. A short time later, Mal joined us, and we chatted throughout dinner.
For dinner, I had seafood salad, followed by black bean soup. My main course was veal in a mushroom sauce, which was excellent. Dessert was Smeraldo, a pistachio cake with lemon curd, mascarpone cream, and pistachio mousse. The meal was accompanied by constantly topped‑up red wine.
During my conversation with Rosalea, I learned we would be on a couple of the same excursions, so I would have a lovely companion when going ashore in Tenerife and Brazil.
After dinner, I returned briefly to my cabin and discovered that the National Park excursion, already changed once and rebooked, had been cancelled again. This time, they claimed it was because recent wildfires had closed the park, though I later learned it was untrue.
At around 20:45, I went to the theatre for the Flamenco show. A brilliant violinist was performing as people gathered. She was fantastic, and I hoped to hear her again before the cruise ended. Gail, Dwight, Tessa, and Mal joined me. I loved the flamenco performance and had an excellent view from my seat near the front.
After the show, I went to the Moliere Lounge Bar on Deck 5 to listen to the music there. I was soon joined by the same group from the theatre, and as I looked for a seat, I saw Rosa and Ann waving to me, so I joined them. I enjoyed the music with a cocktail and a couple of beers. We chatted until about 00:30, when they went to their cabin.
I then moved to the piano bar, where a Brazilian pianist was singing. He was outstanding. The only other person there was an onboard entertainer who sat nearby with a drink and sang along; she had an incredible voice. I finished my beer, returned to my cabin, and went to bed.
Add comment